Motion control for artificial limbs



A. M. OPSAL.

MOTION CONTROL FOR ARTIFIQIAL LIMBS. APPLICATION FILED JULY 9,1921.

1,4 1 3,054. Pate ted pr- 18, 1922.

ANTON ivr. orsan, or Mmn'EAr oLIs, ivrnvnnsora.

MOTION CQNTROL FOR ARTIFICIAL LIMBS. V

Ldi 3, 85

Specification of Letters Patent. P t t E Apr, T58, 1922.

Application filed July 9, 1921. Serial No. 483,536.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, :LNTON M. UPsAL,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, inthe county of Hennepm.

and State of Minnesota, have invented certam new and useful improvements in M- tion Controls for Artificial lambs; and T do hereby declare the following to be a full, 7

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention hasior its object to provide an extremely simple and highly eflicient motion control for artificial thigh limbs, and

to this end it consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter d6.

scribed and defined in the claims.

in the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate'like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is ajtront view of a man having a thigh amputation to which is applied an artificial limb held in position by the improved motion control; A

, Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation of the artificial limb and motion control on an enlarged scale, some parts being broken away;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the parts shown in Fig. 2; p

Fig. 1 is a rear'view of the parts shown in Figs2and3; i j

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail view showing the way the straps are connected to the upper leg section; and

Fig. 6 is a perspectiveview oi one oithe strap-connecting links. r

The numeral 7 indicates a man having a right thigh amputation to which is applied an artificial thigh limb comprising upper and lower leg sections 8 and 9, respectively, connected by a knee'joint 10.

The improved motion control includes a pair oi flat relatively wide straps connected for a short distance at theiradjacent edges to ati'ord an intermediate. section 11, which extends over the upper leg section 8 at the knee joint 10. The straps, below the intermediate section 11, afford relatively short diverging sections 12 and said straps, above the intermediate section 11, afford relatively long diverging sections 13.

The strap sections12 are adjustably attached to opposite sides of the lower leg section 9. in :iront of a vertical line intersecting the axis of the knee joint 10, by forming therein a plurality of vertically spaced button-hole-lihe apertures 14 adapted to receive headed studs 15 secured to said lower leg section. The strapsections 13 extend loosely through fixed loopguides 16 on the lower,

ends of relatively short elastic straps 1'? and from thence said strap sections extend downward in diverging relation and are adjustably attached to opposite sides of the. upper (gfl leg section by fixed loop guides 18. These loop guides 18 arelocated just above the knee joint 10 and back of a vertical line which intersects the axis of said joint.

The strap sections .13 are extended through the loop guides 18 folded upon themselves and adjustablyconnected to vary the operative length of the strap connections between the upper and lower leg'sections by headed links 19, which may be inserted through any pair oi a plurality of holes 20 in each of said straps, (see Fig. 5).

The elastic straps 17 are attached to a pair of susponders21 crossed and connected at the back and arranged to be extended over the shoulders and under the arms of the wearer and theends thereof connected and attached to the upper ends of the elastic straps 17. i

To hold the thigh limb 8 9. in place when the wearer is sitting down, there is provided a strap 22 having at its upper end an elastic section 23, t 1e upper end of which is at inched, as shown, to the suspenders 21where -22'23is of such length as to be entirely out 01 action when the wearer is walking, but lnnnedlately becomes active to hold the thigh limb 8-9 in positlon when the wearer Q starts to sit down and while he is sitting down.

The primary idea of the lnventlon is to provide a motion control that is not only extremely simple and coiniortable to wear,

but that will give to an artificial thigh limb a natural swinging movement. The very action of the wearer in carrying his shoulders "forward in preparing to take a step places the short elastic straps 17 under tension so that when the thigh limb is lifted from the ground, said elastic straps will give muscular locomotion to said thigh limb, or, in other words, said elastic straps will pick the thigh limb up and give the same knee action and a free and easy for ward swinging movement. The improved motion control permits the use ofrelatively wide flat straps, which are free for longL tndinal movement in the loop guides 18.

in making my motion control, I have endeavored to eliminate all objectionable features in other motion control devices, such as pulleys, round and narrow straps and use of sash rOT'GS. The intermediate strap section ll trictionally -:ngages the upper leg section 8, at the knee joint 10, and controls the movement of the lower leg section. By adjusting the strap sections 12 on the headed studs 15, the intermediate strap section 11 may be raised or lowered, in respect to the knee joint 10, to vary the frictional engagement between said intermediate strap section and the upper leg section, so that the lower leg section 9 may be caused. to bend easily or hard to suit the wearer. The i111- proved motion control is designed to relieve the wearer of all drawing action produced by the suspenders, under the action oi the elastic straps 17, while he is sitting down.

What I claim is:

l. The combination with upper and lower leg sections connected by a knee joint, of a motion control including strap guides sup ported trom the wearer, and a pair of straps connected over the knee and having one ct their ends attached to the lower leg section and having their other ends attached to tlu upper leg section and arranged to run over the strap guides.

2. The combination with upper and lower leg sections connected by a knee joint. ot

a motion control including relatively short elastic straps supported from the wearer and having strap guides, and a pair of straps'connected'over the knee and having oneoit their ends attached to the lower leg section and having their other ends attached to the upper leg section and arranged to run over the strap guides.

The combination with upper ant lower leg sections connected by a knee joint, of a motion control including relatively short elastic straps supported from the wearer and having strap guides, and a pair of straps connected over the knee and having one of their ends attached to the lower leg section and having their other ends attachet to the upper leg section, and arranged to run over the strap guides, the several ends of the straps being adjustably attached.

leg section, the points t. The combination with upper and lower leg sections connected by a. knee joint, of a mot-ion control including strap guides adapt ed to he supported from the wearer, a pair of straps connected at the knee, said straps below the knee being in diverging relation and attached to the sides of the lower leg section, said {35 above the knee being in diverging relation and extending through the strap guides and attached to the upper at which the straps are attached to the upper and lower leg sections being, respectively, forwardly and rearwardly of a vertical line that intersects the 'S of the knee joint.

r PM, 1 i 1] o. t comoina ion ui n upper ant row or leg sections connected by a knee joint, of motion control including relatively short elastic straps adapted'to be supported from the wearer and having strap guides, a pair of straps connected to afford an intermediate section arranged to frictionally engage the upper leg section over the knee, the strap sections below said intermediate strap sec tion being in diverging relation and attached to the sides of the lower leg section at the front thereof and the straps above said inter-- mediate strap section being in diverging relation and attached to the sides oi the upper leg section a-tthe back tllGl'QO'F'Ultl. extending through said strap guides.

(5. The combination with upper and lower leg sections connected by a knee joint, of a motion control including a pair of suspenders with connections to the leg sections, and a con 'iection including an elastic section between the suspenders and the upper leg section at the hack thereof.

7. The combination with upper and lower leg sections connected by a knee joint, of a motion control incliu strap guides sup iorted from the wearer, and a pair oi straps attached at one of their ends to the lower leg sectionand at their other ends to the upper leg section, direct-ed over the knee and arrangedto run over the strap guides, said strapguides being arranged to release the pull on the straps when the wearer sits down. 8. The combination with upper and lower leg sections connected by a. knee vjoint, of a motion control including elastic straps supported from the wearer and having strap guides, and a pair o't straps attached at one of their "ends to the lower legi section and at their other ends to the upper leg section,

directed over the knee and arranged to run over the strap guides, said strap guides being arranged to realese the pull onthe straps when the wearer sits down.

intestimony whereoi l allix my signature.

ANTON M. OPSAL. 

